Hayti looking for a football coach after David Gilmore resigns

The coach that took Hayti to six playoff appearances in his seven years on the job is leaving.

David Gilmore will take an administrative position at Kennett for the next school year, leaving a position at Hayti in which playoff appearances became the standard. In seven seasons as head coach, Gilmore's teams twice went 10-0 during the regular season, reached the state championship once (a 35-22 loss to Adrian in 2002) and twice reached the quarterfinal round.

Hayti's 2010 team was 7-4 and lost to eventual state champion Valle Catholic in the regional.

Hayti has not announced its new coach.

Kennett, Oak Ridge return to state rankings

Kennett and Oak Ridge are back in the state polls after both made brief appearances there earlier in the season.

The new state rankings Wednesday from state newspaper and radio stations included 14 Southeast Missouri teams, one more than a week earlier. Kennett and Oak Ridge joined the list, while Zalma dropped out.

Among boys teams in Class 1, Scott County Central remained No. 1, Summersville held at No. 6, Leopold held at No. 8, and Oak Ridge debuted at No. 10.

In Class 2, Bernie remained No. 5.

In Class 3, Charleston is still No. 8, and Kennett joined the list at No. 10.

In Class 4, Sikeston remained No. 1.

In girls rankings, Couch remained No. 3 in Class 2, followed by No. 4 Meadow Heights (down from No. 3 last week), No. 9 St. Vincent (up one spot), and No. 10 Neelyville (down one spot).

In Class 3, Kennett held at No. 9.

In Class 4, Farmington remained No. 9.

Three SEMO teams debut, four drop out in new state polls

Leopold, Zalma and St. Vincent joined the rankings in the latest state newspaper rankings released Wednesday, while four Southeast Missouri teams dropped out.

Among boys teams, Leopold and Zalma debuted in Class 1. Scott County Central remains No. 1, with Summersville No. 6, Leopold No. 8, and Zalma No. 10.

In Class 2, Bernie is No. 5. In Class 3, Charleston is No. 8. And in Class 4, Sikeston is No. 1.

Among girls teams, six from the region are ranked. In Class 2, Meadow Heights is No. 3, Couch No. 4, Neelyville No. 9 and St. Vincent No. 10. In Class 3, Kennett is No. 9. And in Class 4, Farmington is No. 6.

Four area teams dropped from the rankings this week: Cape Girardeau Central, North Pemiscot and Oak Ridge in boys, along with Crystal City in girls.

The poll is conducted by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. SemoSportsWeb.com does not participate in the voting.

New state rankings are out, but expect changes

The problem with state rankings that are voted on each Monday and released Wednesday? There are those pesky games Tuesday.

Meadow Heights' girls team remained No. 2 in the new Class 2 rankings released Wednesday by the state newspapers, but the Panthers are likely to slip next week after a loss Tuesday to Dexter. That loss isn't reflected in the state rankings, which are determined earlier in the week.

Meadow Heights is among six Southeast Missouri girls teams in the new poll. Farmington is No. 6 in Class 4; Crystal City (ninth) and Kennett (10th) are in Class 3; and Couch (fourth) and Neelyville (ninth) join Meadow Heights in Class 2.

Among boys teams, eight from the area are ranked statewide.

In Class 5, Cape Girardeau Central sits at No. 8; Sikeston is No. 1 in Class 4; Charleston is No. 8 in Class 3; Bernie is No. 5 in Class 2; and in Class 1, Scott County Central is No. 1, Summersville No. 6, North Pemiscot No. 8, and Oak Ridge No. 10.

Southeast's revelation: Not quite ready for the big leagues

Tony Samuel played hardball with a school that was out of practice.

Samuel got the best deal a Southeast sports coach could expect late Monday when he signed a five-year deal that included revenue sharing from games along with a salary increase of more than $25,000 annually.

Southeast, in return, got just enough time to wipe egg off its face before stepping to a podium in a hastily called news conference Tuesday morning.

After leading the revived Redhawks to a 9-3 season, a conference title and a playoff berth in 2010, Samuel was in prime position to make demands. And he did. His contract ran out Monday, and Southeast made no indication that Samuel would or would not return.

Boosters waited. Fans waited. Recruits waited. Southeast snoozed.

Score: Samuel 1, Southeast 0.

In his final compromise with a school lackluster in its football tradition, Samuel came out a winner. He gets a better salary, more control and five more years to potentially make a run back into the FBS ranks as an assistant or even head coach at a major college. He gets more time to show his ability to recruit and pull crowds into a historically quiet Houck Stadium.

Samuel 2, Southeast 0.

Left in the dark during contract talks were the fans. The school's inability to seal the deal immediately after the 2010 is a glaring indication that Southeast wasn't fully prepared to keep the coach that removed the "LOL" from its football program. The school knew Samuel's value would soar after a 9-3 season, but it let the process drag while fans — paying customers — were ignored.

Later this week, Southeast will introduce its football recruiting class. Later this summer, the focus will be on the Redhawks' OVC title defense. And later in the fall, the Redhawks could be in the thick of the playoffs.

Ultimately, with Samuel back on the sidelines, the fans win. But they never forget.